


To Summon a Summoner

by shayera



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-02
Updated: 2011-09-02
Packaged: 2017-10-23 09:12:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/248651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shayera/pseuds/shayera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vriska loves meeting the Descendants of people Mindfang mentions in her journal.</p><p>Tavros, of course, is a complete and utter disappointment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Summon a Summoner

There were many things in Mindfang's journal that made Vriska excited. Her Ancestor had been the epitome of awesome, and the journal was one of the things that gave meaning to Vriska's own life. Her favorite part was chancing into the Descendants of people Mindfang had written about. She wouldn't tell them about it, oh no. Perhaps she'd drop a hint if she felt like it. But she would _know_ , and she loved knowing.

Unfortunately, sometimes there were things she just didn't know enough about. And in some cases, by the time she got to the point where it occurred to her to ask, she had already lost the one item that could have given her answers. Like that mysterious "Sufferer" that Mindfang obliquely alluded to in a single sentence near the end – how was she supposed to know that was relevant? It only piqued her interest when she met the angry loudmouth boy who bore the same sign, and by then it was too late. She even tried to ask Karkat if he knew anything once, but all she got was a rant about how he didn't _FUCKING BELIEVE_ in Ancestors. Which she told him was pretty much the equivalent of him outing himself as a lowblood, which set him off on another rant about how beliefs and blood colors weren't necessarily connected, and in the end she found out nothing.

Anyway, knowing Karkat, his Ancestor was probably just some loser who staged a failed rebellion because he was too angry to shut his mouth.

No, the one that got to her long before that – really got to her – was the "Summoner". The one who had been Mindfang's matesprit and her killer, the one who had staged an at least somewhat successful revolution and was the reason adult trolls stayed away from Alternia. Although the journal ended long before Mindfang ever met him, the few paragraphs she had spared for the prophesies regarding him were tantalizing.

Vriska actually asked the orb about the Summoner once. Only one question, and only because she couldn't bear not to.

"Will I ever meet his Descendant?"

 _Yes._

The answer had made her heart flip, and it had taken all of her willpower (all of it!) to put the orb down and not ask anything more. Playing with Eridan and Terezi and even Equius was one thing – that had all happened serendipitously, and repeating or continuing Mindfang's life was the natural thing to do as her Descendant. Okay, so she had prodded Eridan for blackrom, and then he had turned out to be the most booooooooring douchebag who ever swam the planet, so that was a mistake. And she had suggested the costumes for her role playing games with Terezi, although at least there they both got a kick out of it.

But the point was, Mindfang had regretted asking about the Summoner, and it would be beyond stupid for Vriska to repeat the very same mistake regarding the very same person. She would go for that encounter heads on with no spoilers, trusting her luck like a true gamblignant. It would be awesome. Someone who had been that important to Mindfang would _have_ to be important to her as well. It was fate! Whether it would be red or black was for the future to decide, but it was definitely something worth looking forward to.

She had to look out so he didn't kill her, of course, but the thought just made her grin. Anyone whose Ancestor had managed to off Marquise Spinneret Mindfang couldn't be anything but impressive. Vriska's heart fluttered in anticipation.

And that was why she could hardly believe her eyes when less than half a sweep later Terezi's friend Aradia introduced her to her teammate. It had been Terezi's idea to play a game with a couple of nice people for once, lower the stakes for a bit and just have fun. But, as Vriska laid eyes on the boy Aradia presented to her, fun was the last thing on her mind. She felt as if all air had been punched out of her lungs and replaced by gall.

The sign was right. The color was right. The shape of the horns was right. There was no doubt that it was him, the Summoner's Descendant, and yet everything else about him was wrong.

"Uh, hi," he said, waving his hand with an uncertain smile. "I'm Tavros." He was scraping a foot on the ground, not quite looking at her. Vriska, though, was staring. _This_ was the Summoner's heir? That whimpering slouching little wriggler? She wasn't sure how to handle that at all, and her disapproval must have been plainly visible on her face, because the wimpy kid looked even more unsure of himself. "If this is a bad time, perhaps we can come back later?" he suggested.

"Cheer up, Vriska," Terezi said, not getting it. "He's a good guy. You agreed to play a friendly game for once!"

"Exactly!" Aradia said, cheerful as ever. "Tavros, this is Terezi's partner, Vriska." She motioned a greeting as Vriska herself didn't say a word. "She's a blueblood and she plays a gamblignant and she takes the whole thing very seriously as far as I understand, but that's okay."

"Yes, I take these games very seriously, too," Tavros said, his vapid smile telling Vriska that he meant something completely different and unbelievably stupid with those words.

"And Vriska, this is Tavros, the other half of Team Charge," Aradia continued.

"I play a boy-skylark," Tavros informed her. "That's a..."

"I know what a boy-skylark is," Vriska cut him off. "It's a wannabe wingbeast with no cool powers who is basically useless." The stupid nitwit didn't even protest her dismissal. She looked around. Both Terezi and Aradia were watching her, neither of them having any idea what she was going through right now. She could barely stand looking at the stupid boy-skydork and they expected her to play with him? A friendly, non-threatening no-lusus-food game with the wimpy nerdboy who really really shouldn't be standing there with the fucking _Summoner_ 's sign on his chest?

Right at that moment she wouldn't have liked anything more than to feed him to her lusus and hope that the Mother Grub would have the sense to birth another Descendant of the Summoner that wasn't a complete waste of air. But that wasn't going to happen, and this was what she got. She eyed Tavros again. Touching his mind, she made him take a step towards her, and she snorted bitterly. Weak-willed, too. That was actually something she liked about Aradia – she had some substance to her mind and wasn't easily pushed around psychically, despite her bottom-grade blood. But this Tavros? No such luck.

Tavros seemed a little confused as to why he had moved, but he didn't say anything, just took another step to the side to stand next to his teammate.

"Are you okay?" Terezi asked, and it occurred to Vriska that she was talking to her. "Are we going to do this or not?"

"Fiiiiiiiine." Vriska tossed her hair theatrically. "Start that game you prepared. Let's see what Team Charge is made of!"

There was only one thing to do. The web of plans in Vriska's mind was already putting another iron into the fire. This was a disappointment, yes, but she'd show the world that Vriska Serket could roll with 8ad 8r8ks as well as anyone. Better! If Tavros was really as wimpy as he seemed, she would fix that. She'd make him strong even if she had to break every bony in his body to do it. She'd erase that vacant smile and that bashful slouch and make him into something worth her while. And if he'd love her or hate her for it, so much the better. With that Ancestor, there had to be the potential for _something_ in there. She would salvage this situation yet.

It never occurred to her to question whether it was Tavros or her image of the Summoner that was at fault.


End file.
